Closure unit



INVENTORS Ms a. ad@ /4/ Bf @Z JZZA Zang

@Indus/Mil:

July 30, 1957 A. A. BAKER ETAL CLOSURE UNIT Filed March 4, 1954 United States Patent() cLosURE UNrr Albert A. Baker and Harry L. Rhoades, Jr., Erie, Pa.,

assignors to J. A. Zurn Mfg. Co., Erie, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 4, 1954, serial No. 414,128

1 cnam. (ci. 22o-39) This invention relatesto closures for pipes and constitutes an improvement over Patent No. 1,911,455 which was assigned to the assignee of this application.

The closure shown in the patent and other closures for pipes with whichwe are familiar do not provide for wear on the lead seat due to the removal and replacement of the plug. Therefore, after the plug of the conventional closure has been removed a few times, a leak is likely to arise between the lead seat and the plug.

In the present invention, the plug is provided with a cylindrical portion between the tapered seat and the threaded portion of the plug. The cylindrical portion enters the counterbore at the top of the closure as the plug is screwed down even with the top of the drainage hub. At the time the cylindrical portion has entered the counterbore, it provides a cut-olf and prevents caulking material from entering the threads. At the same time, an extension above the sleeve is provided so that ample lead is present for reseating the plug when the plug becomes worn by repeated removal and replacement thereof. As an alternative, we provide a. plug with an undercut portion which extends to the depth of the threads and prevents the caulking lead from ilowing into the root of the thread, providing a at seat as well as a tapered seat. In this embodiment, the thread must cut its own way through the lead as it is screwed out. In order to accomplish this, a sharp edge is provided to more readily eut through the threaded lead portion.

Specifically, it is an object of our invention to provide a plug for a drainage pipe which will reseat itself after repeated removals.

Another object of our invention is to provide a novel structure in a drainage plug wherein the plug will reseat itself after repeated removals.

A further object of our invention is to provide a plug for a drainage pipe which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and simple in application.

With the above and other objects in View, the present invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the appended claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size, proportions, and minor details of construction without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a. View of a novel plug inserted in a pipe according to our invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the plug shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of the ferrule used in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a transverse cross sectional view of another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a top view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a side view of the plug shown in the embodiment of the invention in Fig. 4.

` Patented July 30, 1957 Referring now more-particularly to the drawing, in Fig. l, we showla pipe 10 having an enlarged end 11 forming an internal shoulder 12. The end 11 is formed adjacent its extremity With an annular groove 13.

A cylindrical ferrule 14 is provided having an external diameter substantially less than the internal diameter of the pipe end 11 and a lower end 15 is adapted to rest on the shoulder 12. 'The end 15 is formed -with an external shoulder 16 and the opposite end 17 of the ferrule 14 is externally formed with a-plurality of longifr* 1C@ Y tudinally extending grooves 18 and is internally threaded at 19. In order to retain the ferrule 14 in the pipe end 11, the space between the ferrule 14 and the wall of the pipe end 11 is tightly packed with oakum or similar packing material indicated at 20 with lead 111 overlying the oakum. The oakum 20 overlies the shoulder 16 as shown in Fig. l. It is apparent that lead could be substituted for the oakum 20.

A closure plug 21 has an inner end 22 which is threaded atA 23 for. engagement :with the threads 19 on the ferrule 14 and passes throughlleadlll. The plug 21 is formed with a ilared surface 24 adapted to be .disposed outwardly of the ferrule 14 and flared from its inner end to its outer end at a substantialangle to the ferrule axis. The angle should be approximately twenty-five to fifty degrees. The plug 21 is formed with a polygonal shaped head 25 for engagement by 4a wrench.

The plug 21 has a cylindrical portion 110 which extends outwardly ilush with or slightly beyond the tips of the threads 23 and forms a seal with the lead 111 which projects at 112 over the upper edge of the ferrule 14. Therefore, it will be seen that when the plug 21 is removed, the threads 23 will slide past the overlying portion 112 of the lead 111, thereby making it easy to remove the plug 21 and also allowing the plug to be tightened an additional amount to compensate for wear on the lead 111. By the pressure of the flared surface 24 on the lead 111, it is forced down into engagement with the surface 112 and into sealing engagement with the cylindrical surface when the plug is tightened.

During assembly of the closure for the pipe end 11, the ferrule 14 is placed in the position indicated and the oakum 20 is forced into place and, thereafter, the plug 21 is threaded into the opening 17 of the ferrule 14. Lead 111 or other similar material is owed into the space above the oakum and caulked therein and forced into the groove 18 and into the groove 13 and molded -against the flared surface 24 and against the surface 110 of the plug 21 to form a gas and water tight seal equivalent to a ground joint formed by a taper on the plug 21 and the lead socket. The grooves 18 on the ferrule 14 prevent turning or loosening of the ferrule in the lead 111. Thus, when the caulking material hardens, the tongues extending into the groove 13 will effectively hold the ferrule 14 against removal from the pipe end 11 and the tongues extending into the groove 18 will effectively prevent rotation of the ferrule 14 with respect to the pipe 10 and the surface 24 coacting with the lead 11 will have all the advantages of a ground seat. Furthermore, the plug 21 can be repeatedly removed and reinserted, maintaining the gas and water tight seal due to the cylindrical portion 110 forming a path for the threads 23 to be removed.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 4 and 5, We show an alternate construction of our invention having a similar function. The plug 122 is provided with an undercut at 123 which extends to the depth of the thread 150, permitting the caulking lead to llow into the root of the thread and providing a flat surface at 124 as well as a tapered seat 125. Since the plug 122 must cut its own thread through the lead as it is screwed out in removing it, a sharp cutting edge e 3 130 isprovided on thesideV of*V the cap 151 in order to make the VthreadslSQ-.cut-their` way through the lead/ 111. In the foregoing specification, we have set forth the invention in its` preferredrpractical forms but,we are aware that the structure shown is capableV ofmodification within a range4 Vofl equivalents:V without departing,

from the invention whichisV topbe understood isibroadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claim.

The embodiments of the invention in whichV an exclusive property or'v privilege is'claimed' are dened asV follows.

We claimz t t Y A Vclosure structureV frora pipeV having an.- enlarged endY with a cylindrical internal surface," said cylindrical surface terminatingV atfthe innerfendin an'internalshoul-L der, `an internal circumferentialgroove adjacent the outer endV ofv said cylindrical surface; a ferrule having a substantially cylindrical internal 'surface' Vand having and outer surface tapering outwardly'andttowardthezcenter rthere- Vof and disposed in'saird enlarged end` of saidpipe, said ferrule'being Vinternally threadedand having an external diameter substantially less than the inside 'diameter ofk saidpipe end, the lowerend, of said ferruleY resting on said internal shoulder, said ferrule having axially exa tending grooves in the outerV periphery thereof, said grooves terminating at theV endthereofjremotefrom said shoulder engaging end, the spacetbetween the outside periphery'of said ferrule and theI internal wall of said duced size portion .being ared outwardly from said cylindrical portion, said ared portion engaging said metallic sealing, material in said pipe forcing said sealingV material. into said internal 'peripheral groove. in said pipe and into said reduced size VcylindricaLportionua'nd Y into saidferrule grooves, and an axiallyextending notch cut intoth'e threaded portion of said plug andlextending longitudinally therein, said notch having fone edge theref of forming a sharp radially extending edge whereby said closure threads will cut` their way outwardly through said metallic sealing .material disposed around said closure when said plug is rotated in. a direction to'remove vsame Y from said'ferrule. j n

References Citedin the/tile of patent UNITED 'srATEsf PA-rENrs 386,446; Bailey, et al'. July 2.4, 1888 v 1,149,465 Power Aug., 10, V1915 1,911,455' Lujfet al.l May 30, 1933 2,1(l1g030 Kunze Dec.r 7, 1937V 2,232,336 Meerstener -..L vFels;V 18, 19.41 

